Valve fails to get out of paying its EU geo-blocking fine

Valve has failed to convince a court that it didn't infringe EU law by geo-blocking activation keys, according to a new ruling. The company argued that, based on copyright law, publishers had the right to charge different prices for games in different countries. However, the EU General Court confirmed that its geo-blocking actions "infringed EU competition law"and that copyright law didn't apply."Copyright is intended only to ensure for the right holders concerned protection of the right to exploit commercially the marketing or the making available of the protected subject matter, by the grant of licences in return for payment of remuneration," it wrote in a statement. "However, it does not guarantee them the opportunity to demand the highest possible remuneration or to engage in conduct such as to lead to artificial price differences between the partitioned national markets."The original charges centered around activation keys. The commission said Valve and five publishers (Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax) agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other member states. That would prevent someone in, say, Germany buying a cheaper key in Latvia, where prices are lower. However, doing so violates the EU's Digital Single Market rules, which enforces an open market across the EU. The five developers were given a reduced fine of €7.8 million (over $9.4... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-09-27 12:20:53 UTC ]
News tagged with: #koch media #zenimax agreed #czech republic #member states #germany buying #cheaper key #open market #reduced fine #full €1 #locking keys #region locks #local laws #original €1 #ten days #copyright law

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With the right funding model, journalism can pay its way | Roy Greenslade

As print titles continue to close, two startups may offer an answer to the news industry’s woeThe question most asked by journalists just now, aside from the routine one about Brexit, is how their trade will be funded in future. Indeed, at local level, there is increasing concern about whether... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pool 'in crisis talks', with staff awaiting pay

Women’s lifestyle website The Pool is reportedly in crisis talks, with staff yet to receive their January wages. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HCCP's Thomas Nelson ordered to pay $15m damages to printer EPAC

Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishers in the US, has been found guilty of fraud and breach of contract and ordered to pay $15m in damages to printer EPAC Technologies. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wiley's gender pay gap deepened in 2018

The latest gender pay gap report from Wiley, which takes data for UK staff from April 2018, shows a median pay gap of 22.7%, up from 21.5% the previous year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pool freezes commissions amid journalists' pay row

Lifestyle website The Pool has reportedly frozen commissions and regular columns while it struggles to pay a backlog owed to journalists. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers failing to improve racial and regional diversity, survey finds

Despite concentration of publishers in London, only 11% of respondents identified as BAME – significantly lower than average of 40% in the cityA major survey of the UK’s publishing workforce has found that “significant progress” still needs to be made on both the numbers of black, Asian and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Helen Oxenbury pays tribute to 'gargantuan' John Burningham

Illustrator Helen Oxenbury has paid tribute to her husband John Burningham, who died last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books News: Does It Pay to Be a Writer?

The decline in earnings are largely because of Amazon’s lion’s share of the self-publishing, ebook and resale market. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rebuck pays tribute to 'writer's publisher' Stephen Johnson

Penguin Random House UK chair Gail Rebuck has paid tribute to Stephen Johnson, the former m.d. of Exclusive Books and Random House South Africa, who died earlier this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers succeed in getting Sci-Hub access blocked in Russia

Pirate site Sci-Hub has been blocked in Russia after a group of publishers applied to the courts to get service providers to stop serving the site.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary agent ordered to pay $500,000 to Australian author Kate Morton after lawsuit loss

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[ The Guardian | 2018-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly E-Ranking: Martin’s Fire fails to light up chart

The Tattooist of Auschwitz claims its fifth Weekly E-Book Ranking number one, not as a plucky upstart, but from a position of strength. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette calls on rivals to disclose 'transparent' gender pay gap numbers

Hachette UK is calling on all major publishers "to be transparent" when reporting their gender pay gaps next March, specifically by disclosing how they fare both with and without their distribution arms being taken into account. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google News may shut over EU plans to charge tax for links

Search engine is lobbying hard to stop proposed tax, aimed at compensating news publishers Google’s top news executive has refused to rule out shutting down Google News in EU countries, as the search engine faces a battle with Brussels over plans to charge a “link tax” for using news... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DK pays tribute to Stan Lee

Marvel books publisher DK has responded with "great sadness" to the death of Stan Lee, the creative genius behind the Marvel universe. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine named public's favourite at BAMB Awards

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virago signs Carrie Gracie book on equality in the workplace following BBC pay row

Virago is publishing a book on equality in the workplace from journalist Carrie Gracie, one of the number of high-profile BBC women who challenged the national broadcaster over equal pay. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Jon Fine Leaving Open Road; Baker & Taylor’s Devasar Leads Publishers

After a year with Open Road, attorney and former Amazon executive Jon Fine is heading to American Media. And in India, Baker & Taylor's Nitasha Devasar helms the publishers association's executive committee. The post Industry Notes: Jon Fine Leaving Open Road; Baker & Taylor’s Devasar... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rappaport to Succeed Fine as Open Road Publisher

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Saudi Arabia pays UK firms millions to boost image

PR agency Freud’s, the Independent, Vice and Tony Blair Institute for Global Change among those with linksLondon has become a hub for global Saudi public relations and media influence campaigns, with British firms earning millions of pounds from efforts to improve the image of the kingdom and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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